Six Outstanding Student Athletes Selected in Week 6 of “Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week”

The Gilmer Mirror

Oct 16, 2013 | 2522 views | 0 | 27 | |

Six Outstanding Student Athletes Selected in Week 6 of “Built FordTough Texas High School Football Player of the Week”

5A – Marc Lozoya, Sr., WR, Laredo Alexander

4A – Willy Ivery, Sr. RB, Sulphur Springs

3A – Blake Bogenschutz, Sr., QB, Carthage

2A – Will Smith, Jr., QB, Hempstead

1A – Austin Aguirre, Soph., WR/DB, Normangee

Private – Timmy Ware, Soph., QB, Houston St. Pius X

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 16, 2013 – Six Texas high school football stars have been recognized during Week 6 of the “Built FordTough Texas High School Football Player of the Week” program.

In its eighth consecutive year, Ford Motor Company’s Player of the Week program is again honoring six outstanding student-athletes each week during the 2013 regular season, recognizing one player in each of the state’s six athletic classifications. The winners are chosen for athletic achievements on the field, as well as for outstanding scholarship and community involvement. These players are the embodiment of Ford’s Go Further commitment.

This week’s winning athletes join a long list of players recognized for their exceptional efforts. Previous Players of the Week include: The last two Heisman trophy winners, Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M and Washington Redskins starting quarterback Robert Griffin III, as well as Cincinnati Bengals running back Rex Burkhead, SMU starting quarterback Garrett Gilbert and University of Texas at Austin running back Johnathan Gray, the only two-time Built FordTough Texas HS Football Player of the Year.

Summaries of Week 6 Winners

CLASS 5-A: Marc Lozoya, Sr., Wide Receiver, Laredo Alexander:

Seventeen receptions for 454 yards and six touchdowns? For most wide receivers, that’s a pretty good season. For Laredo Alexander’s Marc Lozoya, that was just one night—albeit the biggest yardage night for a receiver in Texas history! His incredible game, which produced a 63-35 victory over Eagle Pass Winn last Thursday, shattered the all-time state mark of 394 yards, set by a previous Ford Player of the Week winner, Robbie Rhodes of Fort Worth Southwest, in 2011 and came up just five yards short of the new national record by Nate Drew of Detroit (MI) Cesar Chavez last week. All those catches and yards produced six touchdowns, matching Marc’s previous season total in just 48 minutes. Most importantly, the Bulldogs upped their record to 5-2 (3-0 in District 29-5A).

A 3.2 GPA student, Lozoya is the defending district 100-meters champion, which goes a long way toward explaining his success in yards after catch. “We just knew Marc was headed for a breakout performance,” says coach Joel Lopez. “But this was obviously exceptional.

“The best part of Marc’s make-up is his work ethic,” continued the coach. “He never complains; he just trains hard all the time. And he’s a humble kid too. Right after the game (which earned Lozoya an unexpected Gatorade shower), the first thing he did was thank his quarterback and the offensive line. He’s going to get faster and I think his body can accommodate more weight. The week before he’d had a couple of drops. We talked to him about catching the ball. Did he ever!”

CLASS 4-A: Willy Ivery, Sr., Running Back, Sulphur Springs:

Sulphur Springs’ game plan was simple: Get the ball to Willy Ivery and get out of the way. The Wildcats won their fourth straight with a 63-28 pasting of Mount Pleasant in the District 14-4A opener for both. The powerful 5-9, 185-poound Ivery scored four times in the first quarter alone and wound up with six rushing scores (1, 49, 5, 23, 67, and 55 yards) and a seventh on a pass reception. “He could have had nine TDs,” says Coach Greg Owens, “but the quarterback pulled the ball from him twice on the goal line.” Ivery now has 751 yards on 92 carries (8.2 yards a try) and 18 TDs, 11 in the last two games alone. He also missed a game earlier in the season.

A basketball player and track athlete, Ivery owns a solid 3.0 GPA. He gives back to the community by working with special needs kids, reading to elementary school children, serving in his church youth group, and participating in the local Boys & Girls Club. He already owns a half-dozen FBS scholarship offers and, if he keeps up his current pace, could be fielding some more.

“It has been amazing watching Willy develop into a mature young man and athlete,” says Coach Owens. “His solid effort in our summer conditioning program set a wonderful example for the rest of the team. You can always count on him, especially at crunch time. As good as he is, he’s always more excited to watch a teammate score than when he scores. He is a great role model for the community. You never hear a single negative comment about him.”

CLASS 3-A: Blake Bogenschutz, Sr., Quarterback, Carthage:

If Carthage’s Blake Bogenschutz maintains his hot hand, the Bulldogs’ remaining opponents may be in deep trouble. The UT-San Antonio recruit is the main reason why Carthage (No. 6 in the state 3-A rankings) is 6-1 overall and 1-0 in District 20-3A. In last week’s 55-6 district opening drubbing of Huntington, the 6-1, 180-pound senior torched the Red Devils, throwing for five TDs (including a pair to Tee Goree), hitting on 19 of 26 for 271 yards, all in the first half! Is two-week total of 10 TD passes pushed his school career-record total to 92, beating the mark set by 2010 Ford Player of the Year Anthony Morgan. He enters Friday’s home contest with Center with 30 scoring tosses and 2,777 yards (325 per game).

The holder of a sparkling A academic average, Blake is the class valedictorian, scored 30 on the ACT, and is an all-district baseball player at first base and pitcher. He’s also the leader of FCA, reads to Carthage elementary school children, and participated in a community outreach program with congregants from his local Methodist church.

“Blake is the greatest player I’ve ever coached,” says Coach Scott Surratt. “He’s a high character young man and a perfectionist in everything he does. He’s the first one to practice and the last to leave. That’s what makes him great. On the field, he makes all the calls. Blake is the complete package!”

CLASS 2-A: Will Smith, Jr., Quarterback, Hempstead:

Around Hempstead, junior quarterback Will Smith is rapidly becoming as famous as the actor whose name he shares. For Bobcats’ fans, the 5-8, 160-pound Smith may soon carve out his own “I am Legend” reputation. In last week’s hard-fought 43-32 district opening win over Edna, Smith put up 468 yards of offense, carrying the ball 24 times for a whopping 384 yards and six scores. He also completed five passes for another 84 yards and one more TD. It was his second straight 300+ yard rushing game and gives him season numbers of 90 carries for 1,073 yards (nearly 12 yards a pop) and 13 TDs to go with his 622 passing yards and six more scores. No one should be terribly surprised at Smith’s performance. In 2012, his sophomore year, he led District 14-2A in both rushing (1,724) and passing (1,588) yards.

An outstanding basketball player and track athlete (“He’s the fastest kid in school,” says his coach), Will owns a solid 3.0 GPA. He devotes whatever spare time he has to giving back to the community, joining a group of football players who feed needy families and working with the local Youth Under Construction team.

“There’s no doubt that Willy is the most special kid I’ve ever coached,” says veteran Coach Ricky Sargent. “He combines great talent with a work ethic that can’t be matched. His teammates appreciate his ongoing effort to improve and they all appreciate it. He has paid his dues and, for that, they really look up to him.”

Even Normangee’s most loyal fans were, to say the least, concerned last week. The Panthers trailed Hull-Daisetta 47-42 with 12 seconds left, 41 yards from the end zone. That’s when quarterback Elijah Eastern dialed up his most trusted wide receiver, Austin Aguirre. Aguirre made the catch and out-sprinted the safety to the pylon for the 48-47 win. Austin’s clutch catch-and-run helped the 4-3 Panthers to their fourth straight win heading into the bye week. The smallish 5-8, 152-pound sophomore totaled eight catches for 230 yards and four TDs (the others were from 15, 59, and 61 yards) and tacked on a pair of two-point conversion runs in the seesaw non-district game. And that wasn’t all. He made five tackles on defense, grabbed an interception, and returned a kickoff 66 yards, setting up another score.

Aguirre is the owner of a B+ academic average and is a five-sport athlete, participating in basketball (starting point guard), track (three relays), tennis, and golf in addition to football. An active member of FCA, he also volunteers as a coach in Normangee’s youth sports program.

“Austin never comes off the field; he never wants a break,” says Coach Kevin Morton. “He has that innate football sense and he seems to improve with every practice and game. He’s a pleasure to coach and, for him, the sky’s the limit.”

PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Timmy Ware, Soph., Quarterback, Houston St. Pius X:

If his quarterback (and, incidentally, his son) keeps waiting until the final seconds every week to lead a winning drive, Houston St. Pius X Coach Blake Ware’s next staff hire may be a cardiologist. Sophomore Timmy Ware led the Panthers, who trailed by eight starting the final quarter and by one in the final minute, to a heart-pounding 51-49 victory over Tomball Concordia Christian. At the end of a night, Timmy hit on an unconscious 17 of 23 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns and ran 19 times for 108 yards and another score. But it was a 75-yard drive in the final 40 seconds, culminating in the winning field goal that left the fans buzzing. The win boosted the Panthers to a satisfying 5-1 start and marked the third time Ware (the quarterback) pulled out a game in the final minute. “We’ve had so many injuries on defense,” says Coach Blake Ware, “the offense has constantly had to bail us out. And so far, it has.”

An outstanding basketball player and track athlete for the Panthers, Timmy also manages to maintain a stellar 3.5 GPA. In his spare time, he volunteers for numerous community projects at church, including one which is involved in planting trees to aid the environment.

“Obviously, as Timmy’s dad, I’m especially proud of him,” says Coach Ware. “He has been coming to practice every day since I thought it was safe for him. He’d sit on a practice dummy and just focus on the quarterback. What makes him so terrific is his composure. We’ve won three games in the final minute, all on come-from-behind drives, and Tim’s coolness under pressure is the reason why. He just does things that you’d never expect a sophomore to do.”

Nominate Your Elite Student-Athletes at PlayeroftheWeek.com

Students recognized by Ford, Texas Ford Dealers and the Built FordTough Media Advisory Board as Players of the Week have excelled in three categories:

Individual performance on the field, including significant game statistics

Contribution to the team’s success through individual leadership abilities

Performance off the field, including academic success and good community citizenship

Fans may nominate athletes to join this list at PlayeroftheWeek.com, as well as catch up with weekly winners, view video clips of players in action and get the latest program details.

Additionally, fans can catch all the action on Fox Sports Southwest. The network is again teaming with Ford and the Texas Ford Dealers to keep up with award winners through their weekly television show. Each week, television crews will travel to communities across Texas shining the spotlight on players who excel on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. The half-hour Built FordTough Texas High School Football Player of the Week program airs Saturday at 8:30 a.m. for 12 weeks beginning August 31.

Ford F-Series: The Best-Selling Truck for 36 Years

Ford is the undisputed truck leader in Texas. The F-Series sets the standard for full-size pickups with best-in-class payload, towing, interior roominess, strength and reliability. Ford is proud to recognize the Built FordTough Texas High School Football Players of the Week.

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About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 175,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information on the company and about Ford’s products, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.